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Civil War ship wreck site is 1st marine sanctuary in US

The first national marine sanctuary, established in 1975, is the wreck site of the USS Monitor. It is the famous Civil War ship whose battle with the confederate ship, the USS Virginia (formally the USS Merrimac) revolutionized war at sea.

This print of a painting by J.O. Davidson depicts the battle. It was the first battle between two ironclad ships. It was a draw.

The Monitor sunk in a storm off Cape Hatteras on Dec. 31, 1862.

It now lies 230 feet below the ocean surface. This image shows a NOAA side sonar scan of the wreck.

The Outer Banks of North Carolina from space showing the approximate position of the Monitor National Marine Sanctuary. This photo was taken by the Apollo 9 astronauts 3/12/69, during their 136th orbit of Earth.

Image compiled from a series of video stills by Jeff Johnston of the Monitor NMS. This image (from the port stern) shows the location of the Monitor's turret and how it supports the wreck off of the bottom. The area under the armor belt is the area targeted for stabilization by NOAA.

This 1862 photo shows the same turret.

One of the turret gun ports. The rod projecting out was used to secure wood "bucklers" to the outside of the turret. The bucklers were then caulked and sealed to prevent water from entering the gun ports during the Monitor's ocean trip south.

The Monitor's armor belt is resting on its displaced turret, upside down. The armor belt is at the top of the photo.

A diver hovers near the bow of the Monitor.

The framing around the main engine.

View of the Monitor's bow showing how the currents scour out around areas of the wreck.

This image is compiled from a series of video stills by Jeff Johnston of the Monitor National Marine Sanctuary. Although there is a distinct amount of distortion from the camera, this image shows some of the significant collapse that has occurred over the years.

A view across the forward area of the wreck looking aft. This shows the significant collapse of the midships bulkhead. The structure to the right is the now displaced "turret support truss" and marks the original location of the monitor's turret.

Bent and bowed deck support stanchions and the angled ends of "floor beams" along the port boiler.

A view looking aft through what was the port side coal bunker. The armor belt is to the left of the bunker.

A stairway on the starboard side of the fire room that led up to the engine platform.

Port side view of the Monitor's vibrating side lever engine under the engine frames and platform.

The Monitor is also a habitat. It attracts larval animals which attach to the structure and form an artificial reef, which in turn attracts other sea life. This image was taken from the Clelia submersible.

An oyster toadfish rests on the side of the USS Monitor.

A manta flies over the Monitor while Navy divers take a break from their mission to look on in awe.

Archaeologists and conservators from NOAA and The Mariners’ Museum have recovered a wide array of artifacts, including this ring, which was found near the gun turret.

This boot was also recovered near the main gun turret...

... as was this fork.

Researchers have also recovered the main turret. "Excavation was the continuation of a commitment that began after NOAA determined nearly a decade ago that, unless headed off, collapse of the Monitor’s hull was imminent and would result in loss of much of the ship’s structure and historic contents," according to NOAA.

NOAA divers guided a sub-bottom profiler around the turret, searching for historic objects buried in sediment. This marked the first-ever successful diver-assisted sub-bottom profiler survey at any depth. And this one was conducted at 240 ft! The profiler was tethered by cable to a research vessel. On board, images were viewed via computer.

Divers lived in this chamber for two weeks at a time saturated with a gas mixture of 85 percent helium and 15 percent oxygen. This allowed the divers to work in eight-hour shifts.

The turret breaks the surface for the first time since sinking to the ocean bottom on Dec. 31, 1862.

USS Monitor being hoisted onto Derrick Barge Wotan.

The USS Monitor turret after it was brought onboard the Derrick Barge Wotan.

At the surface, marine archaeologist Jeff Johnston (left) and sanctuary manager Dr. John Broadwater excavated the area behind the cannons inside the Monitor's gun turret. LTJG Jeremy Weirich, marine archaeologist for NOAA's Office of Ocean Exploration, was also on the excavation team.

Managing the sanctuary centers around preventing further deterioration of the wreck, recovery of important ship components and artifacts, protecting the wreck from damage by human activities such as vessel anchoring and fishing. Scientists and divers from NOAA, the US Navy, and the Mariners' Museum in Newport News, VA have been leading expeditions to record the condition of the wreck, stabilize her hull, and recovering portions of the craft for restoration by the Mariners' Museum.

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